Manu Ginobili sees similarities between himself and Ricky Rubio -- to a point.

Both came to the NBA as seasoned veterans. Ginobili played in international events for Argentina and had been a star in Europe, just like Rubio. Both had played against good players and had played in big games by the time they became NBA rookies.

Of course, there are differences, too.

"Rubio had much more fanfare," Ginobili said. He and his San Antonio Spurs teammates had just finished their morning shootaround Monday. Ginobili, the Spurs guard, is right. He was a second-round pick by the Spurs while Rubio was a lottery pick. Ginobili, relatively speaking, was operating under the radar when he arrived for his first season with the Spurs in 2002. Rubio's arrival in the Twin Cities has been far bigger news.

"He was high in the draft for a team that needs fire, needs him to change things around," he said. "I found myself with a team with a lot of structure, with players who knew the system and I didn't."